This is not about proas, multihulls or even within nautical “stuff”, but I consider it an absolut must watch for anyone interested in tensegrity structures.

Refactoring Space Exploration with Soft Machines
(Youtube Google Tech Talks)

Johannes

Thanks Johannes, very interesting.

Most interesting, having a recently rebuilt shoulder (just ‘graduated’ from rehab) a lot of the talk resonated.

Thanks,
Skip

Johannes:

Again, thank you for posting this tech talk link.  Beyond interesting, it helped me resolve my understanding of exactly how fundamentally different the Pacific Proa design concept is, and made me feel nothing but awe at how this design evolved in the vacuum of the South Pacific without traditional western “science” and engineering.  Talk about a miraculous mix of materials, fabrication capabilities, design requirements and resulting performance. 

Watching the tech talk brought back memories of sitting through lectures in school, feeling like the mysteries of the world were mine to understand. 

—
Bill